The year 2017 was one of the most successful yet in the over 36-year MTU Maintenance history. The MRO division of MTU Aero Engines secured over $3.7 billion in contract wins, $1.5 billion more than in 2016. “There were about 270 contracts signed last year. Of those, 47 were with new customers or existing customers sending new engine types to our MRO facilities,” reports Michael Schreyögg, chief program officer, MTU Aero Engines. “We are delighted by the new and continued trust customers place in us, as engine experts. It is a clear signal from the market that our portfolio of creative and flexible solutions is exactly what is needed.”
MTU Maintenance network carried out more than 1,000 repair and overhaul shop visits in the year, taking the total number of visits performed to more than 18,000 in 2017. Of these, some 300 visits were for the V2500 engine family, the highest ever, and 125 were for the CF34 family, also a record the company says.
MTU says it is expanding capacity and employing new staff at all facilities, in light of the increase in business. “In particular, we will further invest in our Chinese facility,” says Schreyögg. “Its capacity of 300 shop visits per year is to be expanded capacity by another 50 percent again within the coming years so as to keep up with local market growth, the fastest in the world, as well as to accommodate any new programs in due course.”
Additionally, MTU announced in December that a joint venture, named Engine Maintenance Europe, or EME Aero for short, had been founded with Lufthansa Technik. According to current plans, the facility will be operational in 2020 and have an annual capacity of over 400 shops visits. It will service the PW1000G-series geared turbofan engines as part of the OEM network.